Federico Gastaldi: It’s been a hard fight for us this year

Lotus F1 Team Deputy Team Principal Federico Gastaldi looks forward to the team’s second Grand Prix in Latin America, hopeful of some further fighting spirit on track.

After the success of the Mexican Grand Prix are you looking forward to further fan fever in São Paulo?

Mexico was a great event and it was really fabulous for a new event to be such a success. But now we head to Interlagos where we have enjoyed so many fabulous and dramatic races over the years and where we always get a warm welcome too. Tamas Rohonyi and his team do a superb job of promoting the Brazilian Grand Prix. There is a real passion for Formula 1 in Brazil and when you consider names like Senna, Piquet and Fittipaldi it’s not hard to understand why. Brazilian success in Formula 1 has been a real way for the country to make its mark in the international sphere so the appreciation of it has added magnitude. Like in Mexico, the circuit is located in a very big city so we see many fans at the track as well as on the way to and from the circuit.

What makes Interlagos such a great track for Formula 1?

What makes it rewarding for us is seeing so many excited fans at the circuit. Why they come is to see their heroes race on a rollercoaster circuit which doesn’t let drivers rest for a minute. There’s a relentless energy in a lap of Interlagos and whether you’re in the car or watching from the stands or on television you can feel this. We have seen so many exciting races here over the years, with the passion of so many drivers really coming through. The Latin temperament appreciates emotions being shown and we have seen so many different ones on display here from so many drivers.

Will you be packing a rain coat?

We’ve seen some pretty extreme weather at and around the last couple of events so I’ll definitely be prepared for all eventualities. We’ve seen extreme conditions at São Paulo in years past so we won’t be too surprised if it happens again. Certainly, any rain does not seem to dampen the enthusiasm from the fans and the track becomes yet more of a challenge for the drivers. Let’s see what happens.

The Mexican Grand Prix saw very close racing from Pastor and Romain; how was that viewed from the pit wall?

We enjoyed watching them race. Of course, we’d have preferred to have seen them racing for more points through virtue of being higher up the order, but the drive and intent of both was clear to see. That they were both so close for the entirety of the race at a brand new venue for both of them shows how well they are extracting the performance from the car. All drivers want to end their seasons with very strong races and we have different motivations from both. Romain is heading to pastures new next year and wants to end his time at Enstone as strongly as possible whereas Pastor is as motivated as ever. It was a great battle.

With two races remaining, what’s the plan?

We’re putting everything into finishing the season as well as possible. It’s been a hard fight for us this year, in some ways even harder than 2014, but we keep pushing looking to maximise every opportunity that comes our way.

When can we expect further announcements about the future from the team?

In due course. There’s no point dancing faster than the music!